


Ghosts

by DarkOwlFeather



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Basically the transcription of a discussion, Dialogue Heavy, Don’t Expect Horror, Rapunzel can see ghosts, The Captain is Freaking out, The Tower was haunted, They’re Talking About Their Experiences With Ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27301699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkOwlFeather/pseuds/DarkOwlFeather
Summary: Set after S1E13 “The Wrath of Ruthless Ruth”.The Captain and Rapunzel have a talk about ghosts.
Kudos: 4





	Ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> My sister, who hasn’t (yet) watch TTS/RTA, asked me how Rapunzel learned all she knows, as Gothel isn’t exactly the motherly type and may not have taught her anything… At a point in the conversation, we said that the Tower, old as it is, may be haunted… And one thing leading to another, ghost themed fic, here we go!  
>   
> Warning for wounds on ghosts... Dying isn't always easy.
> 
> Happy Halloween!

The storm was finally over, and so was the curse. Ruthless Ruth, ruthless former barmaid of the Snugly Duckling, was free of her curse, and her ghost was now out in the forest.

Rapunzel greeted her thugs friends goodbye, and watched the path as the captain readied himself to escort her back to the castle.

“Your highness, you didn’t seem so scared by this ghost,” noticed the captain.

“Why would I? She’s not the first ghost I met.”

A shiver went down the captain’s spine. Not the first ghost?

“Not… not the first ghost?” he asked, trying to convince himself he didn’t hear correctly.

“No, I met others. But that was before, you know…” she tried to explain, her voice low.

“Pardon my question, but, before what?”

“The tower was haunted. You didn’t know that?”

“The tower, you mean, THE tower?”

“What other tower would I mean?”

“Well, yours in the castle. But, just, the tower you were kept in was haunted? By who? I have so many questions.”

Rapunzel laughed. No one had really known about the haunting. Eugene wasn’t at the tower long enough to notice the ghosts and everyone else, well, let’s just say Rapunzel had noticed how much ghosts were more looked at like monsters rather than friends. Frankly, she wasn’t even sure if Gothel herself had known about the ghosts passing by the tower. Gothel… now dead… Was she haunting the tower, too?

“Well, you have all the time till the castle to ask your questions, captain,” she finally answered.

“Okay, err, how many ghosts were there? Were they terrifying? Dangerous? Did they do anything to you? Did…”

Rapunzel held up an arm, silencing him.

“One question at a time, please.”

“Yeah, sure, sorry.”

“So… What’s your first question?”

“How many ghosts?”

“A few I’d say. Not that they talked much about how many they were. There weren’t a lot I’ve met one more than once though. Maybe the tower was some kind of ghost hotel,” she said with a shrug and a short laugh.

“And it was okay for you? I mean, they were ghosts! You weren’t scared?”

“I didn’t know they were dead people,” admitted Rapunzel. “Well, I was too young at the time. I didn’t realized until one explained to me why his head wasn’t attached to his body. But before that, no, they were just strange-looking passersby.”

“Head… Cut?”

“Yup. And there was one that had been stabbed right through the heart. This one, he died in battle. Or was it the murdered one? No, no this one was the poisoned one. Sorry, I’m hope it’s not too confusing. They were really a lot.”

“And, none had a, you know, peaceful death?”

Rapunzel seemed thoughtful, a hand brought to her chin. She moved her other hand’s fingers, counting in her head.

“Actually, there was a bunch of them, yes. One of them was a scholar. Was sick, died. But they told me they died far away, so my hair couldn’t have helped them anyway.”

“You thought your hair could help them? I don’t see how, the Sundrop works on people when they’re alive.”

“That’s what I thought too for a while. But one day, I met a woman who had been cursed. I hate curses. Her curse was a bit like Ruth’s. She was stuck in a place. Well, in a way I never knew her, but another ghost, her brother if I recall, told me about her. So, we tried something. He, err, what’s the word, merged with?”

“Possessed?”

“Yes, possessed my hair, I sang, he was back alive and could go save his sister’s ghost.”

The captain stopped.

“Are you okay?” checked Rapunzel when she saw him not moving anymore.

“You were possessed by a ghost?” he asked, blinking quickly at the realization.

“Well, not me, my hair. And possession hurts the ghosts, it’s not painless. I don’t know what’s with people and possession. A ghost only possesses someone if they feel in danger.”

“Danger! How can a ghost possibly be in danger?”

“They are always in danger. The world of the dead is a very dangerous one, you know?”

“I… had never thought of it that way,” admitted the captain with a gulp.

“Well, it is. Between the exorcisms, the rivalries from the living that come back in the dead world, ghosts of animal, predators and preys, a ghost life is all but a peaceful life. I like to think that they thought of the Tower as a safe heaven in a way.”

“So, that’s why you never left? Plus, there was this one you resurrected, you could have escaped.”

“When I resurrected him, I was barely ten. Didn’t understood yet the difference between life and death, or even cared about leaving. To me, my hair healed, but death, that was a whole different frontier I only understood later. And I was with my friends up there. Why would I leave?”

“I guess that makes sense. Say, who was the first ghost you knew?”

“Pascal. He was so frail when he came to the Tower at first. Just a youngling, maybe no more than a few weeks. When I saw his ghost starting to appear above his body, I don’t know, it was a reflex, I put him in my hair and sang. His ghost was terrified at first, but soon, he understood what was happening, and let me heal him.”

“I… Your highness, can we take a pause? I don’t feel so good…”

“Ghosts stories got you, captain?” she asked while leaning on a tree while he mopped the sweat out of his forehead.

“I… yes, I admit it, ghosts and I don’t have a very good story.”

“Oh? Tell me!”

“I’d rather not.”

“Are you shy?”

“No, it’s just… Err… okay, you win. I was just a kid. It was Samhain, and we were just a bunch of kids playing around the bonfires. The leader of the group I was in got us to visit an old barn in the village. At the time, I already had my captain spirit, learning to command. So, our leader told me to enter the barn and hunt ghosts. We thought ghosts were stories for kids. I came in, a torch in my hand, an axe in the other hand, and I walked, one step at a time,” the captain explained, while miming the scene. “At first, there was nothing, only a couple of rats running under the hay. Then a fox running after them. But no ghosts. Not yet. I don’t know how long I stayed there, but after a while, my friends told me to come out. But then, when I tried to leave…”

“The ghost!” guessed Rapunzel.

“No, not the ghost. My father. He had came in from a side door. He spooked me, I let go of the torch, and the hay caught fire. He took me by the arm, and then, I saw it…”

“The ghost?”

“Yes, the ghost. Burning as well, among the hay, trying to leave. At first, I thought it was a living being, I tried to run inside to save it, but, it was only a ghost. And it was gone.”

“That must have been a very bad night for you, captain.”

“Yeah… I don’t think anyone knows that, so, well, if you could not tell anyone…”

“I promise,” said Rapunzel. “And when I make a promise, I keep it. Like this time a ghost promised me to help me learn to read. And they did.”

“You learned to read with a ghost?”

“Yes, the scholar. Gothel had given me books, but she never told me how to read nor write.”

“Was the ghost a good teacher?”

“Yeah, they were. Well, I managed to read the geology book successfully, and then I wrote and Gothel congratulated my writing, so I guess they did a pretty good job.”

“Frankly, I don’t know what to say. The only ghost I saw, in the barn, was really frightening to me,” admitted the captain, sweating as if he was once again in the burning barn. “Maybe it was more frightened than I was…”

“We should get back to the castle. You look like you’ve been under the rain all night, captain.”

“Oh, I’m okay, I’m totally okay, not freaking out because the princess has ghosts friends, not at all,” he said to calm itself, which clearly didn’t work at all.

“Well, friends? I mean, I guess we were friends, but as I told you, most of them didn’t stay long. A ghost only lives a few days, weeks at most.”

“Really?”

“Unless they’re cursed like Ruth. Then, it can be countless years. That’s why I hate curses. The ghost isn’t free to leave anymore. They’re trapped. Driven mad. Captured. It’s not even for their own good. They undergo the curse, they didn’t chose it. A bit like me in the Tower…” she sighed, melancholic.

“Have you ever thought of writing down all this knowledge on ghosts?” asked the captain, hoping to change the subject a little. “People would certainly appreciate them more.”

“Maybe… But as long as people aren’t open enough to see ghosts, nothing can be done.”

“Open?”

“Open-minded in a way. Your mind was opened by fear that night in the burning barn, you saw the ghost. My mind was opened by the near-death of Pascal, the joy to finally know someone else but the dread to know someone who was about to die.”

“You know what, your highness? I should walk ahead, and you follow… I… I need some time…”

“Not a fan of ghosts. I get it. Most ghosts hate fans anyway. It cuts them in bits. At least, the end is faster. But it hurts it seems. Now that I think of it, we’re lucky that ghosts don’t go much in town, my fan during the science fair would have done some damages…”

“Can we… stop talking about it?”

“Oh. Yes, of course. Lead the way, captain.”

He walked ahead, clearly not feeling well. Rapunzel stayed behind while they put some distance between them.

The woods around were starting to darken with the storm clouds coming in the sky. A cold gale came and made leaves fly on the path.

“Hello there,” said Rapunzel. “I don’t think I know you.”

The gale stopped. The leaves fell.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m Rapunzel. I’m a friend.”

A ghastly form appeared, deer-like. It came toward Rapunzel, tilting its head on the side, inspecting this strange living human.

“How long have you been here?” she asked.

“Two days,” answered the deep voice, coming from any point of the forest.

“Have you met anyone yet? I know there are plenty of ghosts in the forest.”

“Saw human ghost. Said name was Ruth, and Rapunzel friend to ghosts.”

Rapunzel giggled.

“That’s very nice of her,” she said to the deer. “What happened to you?”

“Mother killed by hunters. Ran away. Starved. Left body,” said the deer, head low.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. It’s hunting season.”

“No, not human. Wolf pack.”

“I see… See, this man up there,” she said, pointing to the captain, “I’m sure he’ll like you to say hello. Don’t worry if he doesn’t react. He has seen only one ghost in his life. And he was scared. Why don’t you tell him there’s nothing to be scared of?”

“Me? Help man?”

“Yes,” she said with a fond smile.

The young deer ghost trotted on the path, and as his gale went to the captain, a rustle lifted the leaves on the ground.

“You know, princess,” started a voice behind Rapunzel, “when I was still cursed, I’ve met ghosts too.”

“Ruth! Enjoying your new life?”

“Better end here in the forest with the animals to listen to me than to be cursed again. Though, I know I don’t have much time. I just wanted to say. Thank you. Many ghosts I’ve met had met you before. And you brought them joy in the dark of their days.”

“That’s nice of them.”

“Not just nice. Ever wonder why you could see the ghosts?”

“You seem like you have the answer.”

“Because you hold the power of the Sun. Where the Sun shines, there’s no shadow. You see all. All living, all ghosts. I’m sure you still have much to learn though. That’s not a power one can master in a lifetime,” said Ruth. “Well, I’d better go. I’d like to enjoy those woods before leaving. Take care of everyone in your kingdom, princess. You have a gift to see those who need your help.”

She watched Rapunzel and with a wave of the hand, left the path.

Ahead, the captain was kneeling in front of the young deer ghost. Even from the distance, it was clear they were happy, simply happy, relieved of having fear leave them at last. There was nothing to be scared of.

~ End ~

**Author's Note:**

> Woooo, woooo, who’s the ghost sending a shiver through the night? Err, not me!  
> Hope you enjoyed this short story!  
> To be honest, I usually take a lot of time between writing and publishing (that’s how much of an anxious person I am on my writing) but for this fic (and the last with the music box too if I’m frank), I said, to hell anxiety, I’m publishing right after writing!  
> (Speaking of which, one day I’ll publish the last chapter of Our Journey together, which I have to finish writing, and there's also this – how long already? a lot of words – story for a try on Gothel’s origin story… There's a lot of WIP going on XD)


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